EDITOR: I have been attending the meetings of the Coyote Valley
Specific Plan held by the City of San Jose. There are big plans
happening just up the road. Morgan Hill and San Martin residents
need to be involved and up to date on what is being decided.
EDITOR:
I have been attending the meetings of the Coyote Valley Specific Plan held by the City of San Jose. There are big plans happening just up the road. Morgan Hill and San Martin residents need to be involved and up to date on what is being decided.
A minimum of 25,000 homes are slated to be built between Palm and Bailey off Monterey Road. This equates to a population of 80,000 residents. There is a plan to bring 50,000 jobs to that area in an industrial campus. The plan is to be approved by December 2005 and the building will begin. It is planned to be completed within the next 20 to 25 years
The aspects that concern me the most are the building of new schools and the loss of Morgan Hill voting power. The Morgan Hill School District boundaries extend from Bernal Road in south San Jose to Gilroy. That means MHSD will be responsible for providing schools to that area. More schools than Morgan Hill currently has will need to be built, staffed and provided for by our district.
Currently, Morgan Hill carries the majority of votes on bond issues – which increase our taxes – and election of school board trustees – who set curriculum standards, appoint our superintendent and run our schools. The Coyote Valley project will change all that. The majority of votes will be in the hands of those 80,000 residents of the City of San Jose, usurping our 40,000 residents. Morgan Hill and San Martin could easily lose control of the Morgan Hill School District.
One other area of concern is that the plan calls for a minimum 25,000 housing units in a little over one square mile and will contain a population greater than Morgan Hill and Gilroy combined. Where Gilroy and Morgan Hill combined have over six freeway access ramps, Coyote Valley currently has plans for only one (the Bailey Avenue interchange now under construction) to handle the business park employees and 80,000 estimated residents. The relief from traffic jams created by the recently completed widening of U.S. 101 will be lost and replaced by bigger traffic nightmares.
This plan is going to happen whether we like it or not. It is being built on San Jose land. We need to work with San Jose to insure our voice is heard at that Task Force. We need to stay informed about the plan and we need to separate the school district.
If you would like more information about the project or would like to attend the meetings you can email me at rv********@***oo.com
Rebecca Van Dahlen,
Morgan Hill
Editor’s note: The next Coyote Valley Plan community workshop is Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (RSVP by May 7 to Sal or Susan, 277-4576) at the Southside Community Center, 5585 Cottle Road. See story on the Task Force on the front page of today’s edition. The next general meeting of the Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force is May 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 151 W. Mission St., San Jose, in Room 202-A. Details: www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/coyotevalley or 227-4576.
